“I’ve heard rumors that it was a drug buy gone bad,” George said.
Gavin shrugged. He watched Leigh tense and knew exactly what she was thinking.
“It’s common knowledge that Pepperton was a substance abuser,” George continued. “His mood swings were becoming legendary right along with his wild parties.”
“I don’t think you can blame his moods entirely on drugs, dear. If you’ll recall, the Peppertons all have quick tempers,” Emily put in. “Bram was married to Martin’s cousin several years ago. Remember how one of them accosted him at the hospital right after his wife died? He acted as if her death was Bram’s fault somehow.” She pursed her lips. “And to change the subject entirely, Leigh tells us Eden has been cleaning out everything she can from the house.”
Leigh fiddled with her coffee cup.
“I’ve already started legal action on behalf of the estate,” Gavin said, “but it’s probably too late to recover most of what she’s removed.”
“That’s okay,” Leigh interjected. “Hayley and I don’t want anything that belonged to Marcus. And I think Eden genuinely cared for him. You saw how upset she was this afternoon. As far as I’m concerned, she’s welcome to whatever she took.”
“Including the missing six hundred fifty thousand?” Gavin asked.
George whistled in surprise. “That much?”
“At least. I have auditors coming in to work on the situation. Leigh and I will sit down and go over everything once they finish. I’m afraid Ira hadn’t been on top of things for a number of years.”
George rubbed the side of his nose. “You don’t suspect him of stealing from the estate, do you?”
“To tell you the honest truth, I don’t know. I don’t want to believe there was any collusion, but the situation’s a mess. A lot of money is gone. Frankly, his records are a disaster. I’ve spent months trying to go through everything. The first thing I did after Ira died was to let Corrine go and hire a receptionist with paralegal training.”
“You let Corrine go?” Emily chided. “She’s worked for Ira forever.”
“I know,” he said, his expression grim. “That was part of the problem.”
“Emily,” George said in a warning tone. Emily immediately subsided, but her brow stayed furrowed.
“The office was more than she could handle, Emily. She told me she’d only stayed this long because Ira asked her to. She wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren.”
Tiredly, Gavin rubbed his jaw. Corrine Simpson was nearly Ira’s age. She’d told Gavin flat out that she’d wanted to leave, but Ira had been her husband’s best friend and she hadn’t wanted to leave him in the lurch. She’d have done him a bigger favor if she’d gone.
“I’m sorry, Gavin. Of course you need to do what’s best. I didn’t mean to question you.”
“No problem,” he assured Emily. “Do either of you know who actually managed Heartskeep after Amy Thomas disappeared? Do you know if Marcus saw to the day-today household needs or did Eden take over right away?”
“Marcus didn’t confide in us,” George told him flatly.
“The people you ought to ask are Livia and Kathy Walsh,” Emily said. “They knew more about what went on there than anyone else.”
“Until Eden chased them away,” Leigh put in sadly.
“I hired an investigator to locate them. He traced Livia Walsh this morning.”
“You didn’t tell me that,” Leigh said.
“I planned to tell you over dinner. She purchased a house outside Saratoga Springs right after leaving Heartskeep. I thought maybe you’d like to drive up there with me tomorrow. If she agrees to see us, I’m sure she’ll be more forthcoming with you there than if she talks with me alone.”
“I’d like to see her again,” Leigh agreed. “I feel guilty that I didn’t stay in touch after we moved to Boston.”
“I’m sure she understood,” Emily told her.
“Maybe, but Hayley and I should have made more of an effort. What time do you want to go?” Leigh asked.
“My last appointment is at one. Would three o’clock be too late?”
“Not at all. That will leave me free to help you organize your fund-raiser in the morning, Emily.”
“Wonderful. The garden club can use all the help we can get.”
“I’ll give Mrs. Walsh a call tomorrow then,” Gavin said.
Driving up there would give him several hours with Leigh. He’d keep everything on a businesslike footing if it killed him. And remembering that kiss, he thought it just might.
When he finally rose to leave some time later, he turned to Leigh. “Walk me out?”
“Did you forget the way?”
Amused, he watched her cheeks turn pink when she remembered they weren’t alone.
“See how she treats me?” he complained. “No respect for her own lawyer.”
“I didn’t realize you were asking as my lawyer,” Leigh said tartly.
“Did you think I was expecting a good-night kiss?”
The pink brightened. “Hardly.”
“Too bad,” he said with a theatrical sigh.
Her cheeks turned cherry red. “Stop that.”
George and Emily watched the exchange with interest. Gavin tried for a woebegone expression. “Shot down again. ’Night, George, Emily. Thanks again for dinner.”
“Good night, Gavin,” Emily replied. The bridge of her nose was pleated despite her smile and he realized she was worried. He should have remembered how easily she’d always been able to read him.
“Drive safely,” George told him.
“Always. Coming?” he asked Leigh. “After all, you wouldn’t want me to walk out there alone in the dark and get attacked by the bogeyman.”
“I’m sure the bogeyman wouldn’t waste his time.”
“Ouch.” But he winked at the Walkens to ease their concern as she rose to accompany him.
He waited until they were at the front door before saying anything more. “Do I make you nervous?” he asked Leigh.
Up came her chin. “Of course not.”
“Good. Then if you don’t want George coming after me with a shotgun, it would be nice if you’d stop acting so jumpy around me.”
Startled, her lips parted in protest. “I’m not acting jumpy.”
They stepped onto the front porch. Deliberately, he closed the door behind them.
“You don’t think so?”
“Of course not.”
“Then why are you trembling?”
He’d forgotten to turn on the porch light. There wasn’t enough of a moon to let him see her expression clearly.
“I’m not trembling.”
He traced her jaw with the back of his finger. She inhaled sharply.
“What are you doing, Gavin?”
“Darned if I know.” He dropped his hands to his side. “I have a rule. I never get personally involved with a client.”
Was that a flash of hurt in her expression?
“Very wise.”
“Yeah. So why do I suddenly resent the heck out of that rule?”
“You never were one to follow rules—even your own.”
She was right. There was something special about Leigh. He’d known it seven years ago when he’d first seen her standing under a tree looking sexier than any pinup.
“Why did you ask me to come out here with you?”
His mind went blank. She tilted her head in question.
“You must have wanted something.”
“I want a lot of things,” he told her honestly.
“Is that why you kissed me in the closet?”
“That was a mistake. You’re my client.”
“And kissing a client is a bad thing,” she said in a flat voice.
Gavin ran a hand through his hair in frustration. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her again. “I’m not expressing myself very well here, but you can understand why we need to keep things on a professional level. If the situation was di
fferent…”
“Then what? Kissing me would be okay? Do I have a say in this?”
He shook his head. She was hurt and angry and spoiling for a fight. “You don’t want to provoke an argument with me, Leigh,” he said gently.
She raised her chin and even in the dark he could see the glitter of challenge in her eyes. “Why not?”
“Because I’m a lawyer. You wouldn’t win.”
“What an egotistical stateme—”
“Did you really have a crush on me the size of California?”
“Of course not!”
He stared at her in silent challenge. She didn’t look away, even though it was obvious that she was embarrassed. After a second, her tension eased and she swung her head in a purely feminine gesture.
“It was more like Nebraska.”
The unexpected words took a minute to sink in. A smile started inside him, spreading until he could feel it in every pore. She was incredible. Utterly unpredictable and as open and honest as she was lovely. His body hardened in desire.
“You’d better go back inside and I’d better leave.”
Neither of them moved.
“You’re turning into a major temptation, Leigh.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered?”
“Well, my ego would probably appreciate it.”
“Your ego doesn’t need any help from me. Why did you ask me to walk out here with you?”
“I wanted to apologize for stepping over the line this afternoon and assure you that it won’t happen again.”
“Gee, thanks. But, this isn’t going to magically go away, you know. There’s a chemical reaction taking place between us.”
“I know all about pheromones, Leigh, and I know we can ignore them.”
“What if we don’t want to ignore them?”
His pulse leaped. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you that sometimes honesty isn’t the best policy?”
“Why not?”
Any number of responses came to mind. None of them made it to his lips. She stood there looking up at him and he could feel his resolve trickling away. “This is a bad idea.”
“What is?”
“If you don’t go inside right this minute, I’m going to kiss you again,” he warned.
A quiver seemed to run straight down her body.
“Not if you don’t stop talking.”
Gavin stopped talking.
Leigh melted against him. Her body was coiled so tight in anticipation, she felt as if she could explode right there. Instead, it was the kiss that exploded in a bubble of excitement too raw to be contained. Need was a living thing inside her, pulsing without restraint.
Her lips parted, inviting him to explore. There was nothing tentative in the way his mouth took possession of hers. He held her firmly, one large, warm hand sliding beneath her hair to cup the back of her head. He held her there in place as he kissed her with shocking thoroughness.
Leigh could feel the throbbing hardness of him against her thigh. She opened her mouth and kissed him back, craving more. Much more.
It had been like this in her dreams, but the reality was so much better. She pressed against him, moving in restless excitement that sent her senses soaring, taking her higher and higher.
The porch light suddenly winked on overhead.
They sprang apart as if scalded by the brightness. Her breath shuddered out of her as her heart continued its uneven thud against her rib cage. Leigh was aware of her body in a womanly way she had never known. The unfamiliar sense of feminine power was exhilarating.
“I think someone’s trying to tell us something.”
The deep timbre of his husky voice was thick, the words not quite steady. But at least he had a voice. She couldn’t seem to find hers.
“Are you all right?”
Leigh managed a nod.
“Do I owe you another apology?”
She glared at him. “Do I look like I’m waiting for one?”
“You look…”
His gaze swept her, as intimate as a caress.
“…like a fantasy,” he said on a ragged note. “I’ll see you tomorrow at three.”
She didn’t move as he spun abruptly and left the porch. She remained standing there long after his taillights disappeared down the driveway.
Baiting him had been stupid. He was right. A relationship between them was foolish and impossible. Yet she was still crazy about Gavin Jarret.
What was she supposed to do now?
“THERE’S A SLIGHT HITCH in our plans,” Gavin said when Leigh was ushered into his office at seven minutes past three the next day.
“A hitch. Is that like a hiccup?”
“Same thing.”
She loved the way his eyes softened until the rest of his face followed suit. She’d decided to take her cues from Gavin. If he wanted to act like nothing out of the ordinary had happened last night, she would be casual as well, no matter what it cost her.
There was definitely masculine approval in the gaze he sent sweeping over her. She was glad she’d left the garden club meeting early enough to shower and change clothes before driving into town.
“What’s the hitch?”
“I’ve tried to reach Mrs. Walsh, but she’s not answering her telephone. We can drive up there and see if we can catch her anyhow, or we can wait and try again tomorrow.”
“Since I promised to help Emily again tomorrow, I think we should go ahead. Mrs. Walsh may be out shopping or something.”
“That was my thinking, too.”
Gavin shed his suit coat and tie as he led her out to his car. Leigh was disappointed, but not surprised, when he made no effort to touch her and kept the conversation businesslike.
“I’ve been looking over those bogus bills Marcus submitted. I’m pretty sure they were all computer generated. Was he good with computers?”
“I don’t know. He and Eden had one in their office.”
“What about a scanner?”
“I don’t remember seeing one, but Grandpa had one in his office. Everyone in the house had access to it.”
“Okay. Who among the household members had good computer skills?”
“Jacob and I have the most knowledge.”
“Jacob?” he asked sharply.
“Oh, please. Not you, too. I know why Bram doesn’t like him, but you have no reason to dislike Jacob. Besides, he wouldn’t have had access to the household account and Marcus didn’t like him.”
“Why not?”
“Marcus didn’t like anyone.”
“No, but Eden was his mother.”
“You really do sound like Bram. What is it about Jacob you guys don’t like? Generally speaking, everyone likes Jacob.”
Gavin slanted her a wry look. “I don’t know Jacob well enough to like or dislike him. I’m trying to look at all the angles here. Jacob could have shown his mother how to use the computer and scanner so she could create the bills.”
“Or she may have known how to do it without his help. So could Marcus. There’s no way to tell, Gavin. Maybe Mrs. Walsh will know. Or more likely, Kathy would. She’s the one who used to clean their offices.”
“My detective still doesn’t have an address for Kathy, but he’s working on it. She may have gotten married and moved away.”
“You know, it’s funny. They seemed so much a part of our lives growing up, but I don’t even know if Kathy had boyfriends when she worked for us. Why don’t we simply ask Mrs. Walsh how to find her?”
“I plan to.”
LIVIA WALSH LIVED in a house so far outside Saratoga Springs that Gavin expressed surprise that it was still in the same county. The one-story ranch-style house was part of a cluster of brick homes built in the 1950s. Neat, well-manicured lawns were shaded by large trees and mature shrubs. The neighborhood had a quiet, prosperous, settled look.
“Looks like we made the trip for nothing,” he told Leigh as they started down the street. “She must be out of town.”
Leigh saw
what he meant. A couple of newspapers sat in the driveway of an otherwise pristine yard. The mailbox number matched the one his investigator had given him.
“Something’s wrong,” she said in concern. “Mrs. Walsh would never go away without stopping the newspaper. She’d at least arrange for someone to pick them up. She was compulsively organized, Gavin.”
“Maybe something came up unexpectedly.”
“All the more reason she’d have someone watch the house and take in her papers.”
Leigh got out of the car as soon as he came to a stop and hurried over to the mailbox. She could see the drapes and shades were all drawn to cover the windows. It felt wrong and the mailbox confirmed her fears.
“There’s three days’ worth of mail in here,” Leigh told him. “Something’s wrong.”
Gavin spotted a woman watching them from the window of the house next door. “Let’s go see what her neighbors know. Maybe one of them has a key.”
The woman who answered the door looked to be in her mid-thirties. She wasn’t hostile, but she wasn’t the trusting sort, either. Watching Leigh paw through her neighbor’s mail probably hadn’t helped instill a sense of confidence in them. Gavin identified himself and handed her a business card when she reluctantly cracked open her screen door.
“I don’t know where Mrs. Walsh is,” the woman told them. “I admit, I did begin to worry when I saw she hadn’t picked up her papers. She usually asks Jane, across the street, to take them in if she’s going away for a few days.”
Leigh shot him an ‘I told you so’ look.
“Does she go away a lot?” Gavin asked.
“Not really, no.”
“Does Jane have a key to the house?”
“I don’t think so. You’ll have to ask her. She’s at work right now.”
“Would you have a work number where I could reach her?”
“I’m afraid not. Do you think something’s happened to Mrs. Walsh?” The woman stepped out onto her porch, brushing at her untidy hair. “She’s a lovely person. I’d hate to think she might be lying inside hurt or injured. Maybe we should call the police.”
The Second Sister Page 12